Theft-safe explosive mixtures based on hydrogen peroxide: Study of properties and built-in self-deactivation kinetics

The current focus on both environmental and general safety is an important issue in the field of explosives. As such, environmentally-friendly explosives, based on hydrogen peroxide (HTP) as an oxidising agent, are of significant interest. These explosives can be designed to undergo self-deactivation, denying access to them by any unlawful third parties that may attempt scavenging blasting sites for any residual energetic materials. Such deactivation also improves blasting safety, as, after a set time, misfired charges no longer pose any explosive threat. In this work, we have designed HTP-based explosive formulations that undergo deactivation after approximately 12 h. To this effect, Al powders were used both as fuels and HTP decomposition promoters. The shock wave parameters and ability to perform mechanical work of the proposed explosive formulations are comparable to those of dynamites and bulk emulsion explosives, and the details of the changes of these parameters over time are also reported.